Whale Encounters In The Virgin Islands

At the top of everyone’s list of things to do in the USVI & BVI is chartering a private boat. This is especially true during the Humpback Whale migration through the Caribbean when charter guests might also get the chance to do some whale watching!

Guests can book a tour with Island Roots Charters during the spring season and sometimes encounter whales, like the Humpback, on any of the three charter trips that Island Roots Charters offers: USVI Private Day Charter, BVI Private Day Charter or the "Golden Hour" Afternoon Sunset Charter.

There are 22 different species of whales that have been sighted in the Caribbean Sea, which increases the odds of seeing a whale on your trip.

Surprisingly, it is rare to see a whale in the shallow waters right off of the beaches in the Virgin Islands. Whales are normally found further offshore in the deeper ocean in places that can only be visited by boat. The best time for whale watching in the Caribbean (USVI - BVI) is during the Humpback Whale migration through the Caribbean Sea, with March and April being the peak months to observe them.

The Humpback Whale Migration Through The Caribbean

Whales photographed during the Humpback Whale migration

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be in the ocean with Humpback Whales? Just a few months ago, Captain Max was leading a crew of Island Roots’ guests, and unexpectantly this trip magically became a whale watching tour in the Caribbean. Then, as if a pied piper had a whale song, everyone’s attention focused in on the majestic beings moving through the water.

Here is the story in Captain Max’s own words:

We had just finished lunch at Lime Out and were about to cruise down the Southside of St. John. As we neared Ram’s Head we noticed whales about 300 yards off of Saltpond.

It was a very calm day out there. Super flat. We stopped the boat and turned the motors off to observe the whales. They then swam closer and started doing circles around the boat. Just kind of checking us out and playing around. Then they started to swim underneath our boat over and over again while we floated there. It was a mother about 40ft long and her calf which was about 15-17ft long.

They hung around the boat for about 20 to 30 minutes in all before moving on and heading out to deeper water.

It was a really amazing experience! Like a once in a lifetime experience.

Video of Humpback Whales migrating through the Caribbean, USVI - BVI

Whale Expert Insights On Humpbacks Traveling Through The Caribbean Sea

Humpback Whale expert, Ted Cheeseman, who holds a master's degree in Tropical Conservation Biology from Duke University and is pursuing a Ph.D. on humpback whales at Southern Cross University said:

Humpback whales are in waters around the USVI during their breeding season, approximately December to April.

The whales that migrate here are not feeding at all during their time in the Caribbean, rather they are surviving on energy stored from colder water feeding areas. These whales migrate from all parts of the North Atlantic (see map below).

Mothers with calves in these waters will be nursing their calves entirely from energy reserves — losing 150 to 250 pounds PER DAY to sustain themselves and provide the energy for their calves to grow about half an inch.

Humpback whales are individually identifiable by the unique patterns and shapes of the undersides of their tails. Similar to facial recognition, identification of humpback whale individuals is now easy, accessible and fun.

If you see humpback whales and have a camera equipped with at least a small telephoto lens, take photos of the tails of the whales when they dive — they often lift their tails when diving — and submit your photos to Happywhale.com with the date and location of your encounter. The website will identify your whale for you, show you everywhere your whale has been seen available in the database, and if you wish, notify you of when your whale is encountered in the future.

Do not approach whales within about 100m. If the whales approach your boat, back your sails and enjoy a magical experience with leviathans. Whales are more likely to approach boats moving slowly and predictably; they are intelligent and curious creatures.

Humpback whale song is amazing, complex on the order of the level of complexity of an opera (that is, for example, that there are notes that are built into phrases, these built into themes, and these built into songs that stretch, by one singer, for hours and hours), and we really do not know what they mean.

Only males sing, and most singing is in breeding areas, so it seems pretty clear there is a social function. But males do not sing to attract mates to themselves directly nor do they sing to establish dominance or territory, two of the more common purposes of song in the animal kingdom. The ocean retains many mysteries, and this is one of the most beautiful of oceanic mysteries.

Humpback whale songs are extremely loud, loud enough to penetrate the hull of a vessel if the motor is off and the whale is in the water near the vessel. They are not so loud, however, as to be dangerous to the human ear or body.

Humpback Whale migration map through the Caribbean, courtesy Happywhale.com

If you are visiting St. John, St. Thomas, or anywhere in the Virgin Islands in the future, be on the look out for whales, all 22 types of them, which we have organized below in a comprehensive table that you can feel free to bookmark and share with other marine mammal enthusiasts:

#	Whale Type	Scientific Name	Notable Sightings in Caribbean
1	Fin Whale	Balaenoptera physalus	Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Colombia
2	Minke Whale	Balaenoptera acutorostrata	Florida to Dominica
3	Antarctic Minke Whale	Balaenoptera bonaerensis	Stranded in Suriname
4	Blue Whale	Balaenoptera musculus	Rare sightings, acoustic recordings south of Bermuda
5	Bryde's Whale	Balaenoptera edeni	Venezuela, Aruba, Dominican Republic
6	Rice's Whale	Balaenoptera ricei	Specific to the north-east Gulf of Mexico
7	Sei Whale	Balaenoptera borealis	Gulf of Mexico, Greater Antilles
8	Humpback Whale	Megaptera novaeangliae	Cuba to Venezuela, strong concentration off Dominican Republic
9	North Atlantic Right Whale	Eubalaena glacialis	Georgia, Florida, sightings in Gulf of Mexico
10	Killer Whale	Orcinus orca	Throughout the Caribbean
11	False Killer Whale	Pseudorca crassidens	Throughout the Caribbean, especially in deep waters
12	Pygmy Killer Whale	Feresa attenuata	Deep waters off the Bahamas, Puerto Rico
13	Short-finned Pilot Whale	Globicephala macrorhynchus	Greater Antilles, Gulf of Mexico, eastern Caribbean Sea
14	Melon-headed Whale	Peponocephala electra	Deep waters throughout the Caribbean
15	Sperm Whale	Physeter macrocephalus	Throughout the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico
16	Dwarf Sperm Whale	Kogia sima	Throughout the Caribbean Sea, often in deep waters
17	Pygmy Sperm Whale	Kogia breviceps	Throughout the Caribbean Sea, often in deep waters
18	Cuvier's Beaked Whale	Ziphius cavirostris	Deep waters throughout the Caribbean Sea
19	Blainville's Beaked Whale	Mesoplodon densirostris	Deep waters throughout the Caribbean Sea
20	Gervais' Beaked Whale	Mesoplodon europaeus	Deep waters of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico
21	True's Beaked Whale	Mesoplodon mirus	Rarely sighted in the Caribbean, mostly deep waters
22	Sowerby's Beaked Whale	Mesoplodon bidens	Rarely sighted in the Caribbean, mostly deep waters